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ABC News – by SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation into law Wednesday that prevents the public release of crime scene photos and video evidence from the Connecticut school shootings that took the lives of 20 first graders and six school employees.
The new law, a result of efforts to balance private and public interests, creates an exemption to the state's Freedom of Information Act and applies to homicides in Connecticut.
The law prevents the release of photographs, film, video and other images depicting a homicide victim if those records "could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of the victim or the victim's surviving family members."
Malloy signed the bill hours after the General Assembly approved the eleventh-hour compromise during the early morning hours of the final day of the state legislative session. Malloy said he believes "a parent of a deceased child should have the right to remember that child" as they wish and not because they were "caught up in some tragic and unbelievable circumstances."
The governor's office originally worked privately with legislative leaders and the state's top prosecutor to draft a bill that would address the concerns of families who lost relatives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown. They considered various proposals, including legislation applying only to the Newtown victims and allowing their families to decide whether certain information should be released.
But in the end, the bill was tailored off an exemption in the federal Freedom of Information law.
During a somber early-morning Senate debate on the bill, as several family members of the victims looked on, Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr. said lawmakers were moved by the parents' concerns and tried to come up with a fair proposal.
"We have tried our best as Democrats and Republicans to work together to protect the interests of these families, these parents, these relatives sitting behind me, at the same time honoring our tradition as a free and open democracy," he said.
The new law creates a one-year moratorium on the release of certain portions of audiotape or other recordings in which the condition of a homicide victim is described. The exemption does not include 911 emergency call recordings, however.
Additionally, it creates a task force that would make recommendations on the balance between victim privacy under the FOI law and the public's right to know. The task force must submit its recommendations by Jan. 1.
Disputes over the release of materials could be resolved as similar disputes have been in the past, either in the state Freedom of Information Commission or the courts.
Colleen Murphy, the commission's executive director, said the standard of an "unwarranted" invasion of the personal privacy of the victim or victim's surviving family members has never been time-tested in Connecticut. She said the commission decisions on this issue will be a first.
The Senate approved the bill 33-2; the House by a vote of 130-2.
Rep. Stephen Dargan, D-West Haven, who voted against the measure, said he was concerned about the message it sent.
"Some people that thought they were impacted underneath the Second Amendment feel that they're impacted underneath the First Amendment because the government is covering up or not letting the public have the right to know," he said.
On Tuesday, family members of the Sandy Hook victims began a vigil at the state Capitol, waiting for legislative action.
Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son Daniel was killed, told The Associated Press he knows of individuals and groups that want the photos. Given today's technology, he said, one photograph can be distributed worldwide and remain accessible forever.
"It's these strange individuals and fringe interest groups that have expressed a very real need for this information and they don't have any business having it," he said. "Nobody would benefit from it. On the contrary, it would do so much harm."
Members of the legislature's Black and Puerto Rican Caucus also voiced concerns about the original legislation preventing only the release of photos from the Newtown massacre. Legislators then broadened the bill to include other homicides.
The Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association had expressed concern about the possibility of limiting access to the documents.
"Any time the state is interested in opening up the Freedom of Information Act, we urge them to use extreme caution. Obviously, there's deference to the tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook," said Christopher VanDeHoef, the association's executive director. "But it's our concern that we're going to use that as sort of a sweeping change to FOI law that could be damaging to the openness of government down the road."


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Ocean view Bungalow - Marazul Dive Resort 12, Westpunt
The Bungalow is located at the Marazul Dive Resort, West Point on Curacao.
The Bungalow has a free view of the Caribbean Sea and is about 15 meters away from the rocky shore +/_ 10 meters above the sea caves.
The resort is located on the Caribbean Sea, the Western Rocky coast of Curacao and is located near by the national park of Curacao named Christoffel Park.
The location offers a breathtaking natural beauty and colorful architecture. Excellent location for, water sports, hiking, fishing, cycling, mountain biking, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving.
It`s wonderful to swim in the ocean or in the pool, but especially relax from the hectic everyday life.
There are various possibilities for excursions, sea fishing, all diving activities, shopping in Willemstad or visiting the National Park.
Within walking distance there are several very nice beaches and of course not to mention the various local restaurants.
Also the Resort has a private pool with a number of sun beds.
The bungalow is suitable for 6 persons.
Amenities & Facilities
- Kitchen
- Refrigerator
- Cooktop
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Laundry room
- Dining area
- Terrace
- Master bedroom
- Small bedroom with queen bed
- Two fold down sleepers in main living area
- Games
- WiFi
- Walk-in closet
- Ceiling fans

subset: commoncrawl


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Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 21st Century Table: The kitchen journal of a vegan food writer.. I'm on Facebook and Twitter (see links in sidebar at right).
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Lobster mushrooms we picked on the way back from our morning walk a few days ago
This going to be a quick one because I had a busy week of writing (sent the manuscript off in the middle of the night, with trees cracking in the bush from the wind and fearing that the power would go again!) and now three of my beautiful granddaughters are here for the weekend. Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving and I have to play catch-up! I haven't had time to plan, or to write anything Thanksgiving-ish for the blog, but I'll post about it after the fact (and below I'll list some recipes on the blog that would be good for Thanksgiving festivities).
I love these gorgeous orange fungi; DH does not, so more for me! They are easy to spot and you can't really confuse them with anything else. You can read about them here. They are best just sautéed, so that's what I did, in a little Earth Balance, after trimming (I had about a pound after trimming-- worth about $18 on the market!).
They were so tasty, with a little natural spiciness! But what to do with them? I ended up adding them to my spicy brown Basmati Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, which will be in the new book-- brilliant! I ate the leftovers for days (not much time to cook!) and enjoyed it every time!
Here are some ideas for the holiday weekend!
Pumpkin Tunnel Cake with Lemon-Ginger Creme Cheeze Filling, Caramel Sauce and Toasted Pecans
Bryanna's Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin-Pecan Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
12 comments:
Lobster mushrooms were mentioned on a pack of dried mushrooms I'd had. No luck finding them otherwise; but nice to see you have. I believe they only grow wild. Did you have a recipe up once for Dulce de Leche? I looked hard and couldn't find. May be thinking of something else...too much BC bud as a kid... Thanks for being you B. Happy Daze!
- Sat Oct 09, 06:31:00 PM PDT
Thanks, as always, for the Thanksgiving inspiration, Bryanna. Very, very jealous about the mushrooms. Also, I love the blog redesign - beautiful! Thank you for being so generous in sharing your recipes and (extensive) knowledge about excellent vegan food.
- Sun Oct 10, 06:48:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Thanks to both of you, and thanks for your comment on the blog, Erin! In the middle of all the writing, editing, etc., I just couldn't stand how my blog looked anymore, so sneaked in a little time for a quick re-vamp.
Father F. contact me via this page:
http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/2643700.htm - Sun Oct 10, 07:52:00 AM PDT
What will the new book be titled and when will it be available? I have the complete set of all your books and will of course want this one as well.
Jo - Sun Oct 10, 01:27:00 PM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
I'm not sure of the title yet, but I'll announce it. It should be out in early 2011.
- Sun Oct 10, 02:38:00 PM PDT
- Søren said...
Very happy to hear that you have a new book coming out, Bryanna! Can't wait! Does this one has a special theme to it like your previous works? Wishing you all the best of success with it - you know I'm gonna be buying it!
- Mon Oct 11, 10:58:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Thanks, Søren! It is international and fusion cooking.
- Mon Oct 11, 01:21:00 PM PDT
- Kris said...
Oh, you are ever so generous to share all these recipes with your readers! Thank you. Those lobster mushrooms look absolutely marvelous. You are blessed to have found them pretty much lying around. :)
I wish I would have caught these recipes in time for Thanksgiving, but... I could always feign Americanness and have them for American Thanksgiving, right?
All the best and keep rocking :) - Fri Oct 15, 05:53:00 AM PDT
- Unknown said...
hi bryanna,
i just went to a mushroom festival in bellingham yesterday and found out something fascinating about lobster mushrooms which you may or may not know...thought I'd share...the lobster mushroom is actually a "mongrel" mushroom, created when a parasitizing mushroom called hipomyces grows over (in our neck of the woods) a type of russula mushroom. by the time the parasitization (is that a word?) is complete, you have a lobster mushroom...but the lobster is technically a fusion fungus!! there are more amazing things under heaven and earth... - Mon Oct 18, 07:26:00 AM PDT
- Unknown said...
rats, i think my last post was erased! here goes again...i went to a mushroom festival hosted in bellingham by the northwest mushroomers...i learned something fascinating about lobster mushrooms...they are actually a fusion species of mushroom formed when a parasitizing mushroom called hipomyces grows over (in our neck of the woods) a type of russula mushroom...once the parasitization (word? sp?) is complete, you have the tasty lobster mushroom! I found that quite amazing and thought I'd share...seems it is another delightful case of there are more amazing things under heaven and earth...
cheers!! - Mon Oct 18, 07:29:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Yes, isn't it weird? But it becomes a delicious fungus, and perfectly safe, from all I have read and from my own experience.
- Mon Oct 18, 07:30:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Jamie/Shawn-- the comments don't show up automatically-- I manually approve them. Unfortunately I have to do that now, as I have had some rude postings in the past.
- Mon Oct 18, 07:37:00 AM PDT


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SwoopThat is a free service and requires no registration. For a similar search tool check out previously reviewed Milo.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the first time, the State Charter School Board has evaluated Utah's 81 charter schools in three key areas academics, finances and governance creating a baseline for comparing the schools next year.
Not everyone thinks it's a good idea.
Kim Frank of the Utah Charter Network, a nonprofit advocate for schools, said she appreciates the board setting high standards.
"But I don't appreciate more bureaucracy and more mandate requirements of charter schools than district schools," Frank said this week.
Charters are public schools but have more leeway in how they hire staff or design curriculum than traditional public schools. For that reason, many charter schools have been able to explore new academic territory.
Nearly 9 percent of all K-12 Utah students attend a charter school. Enrollment has shot up over the past decade from 1,526 students in 2002 to a peak of 50,785 youngsters this school year.
Marlies Burns, state charter school director, said it's the board's responsibility to make sure these schools are held accountable: "This is the first year we have these performance measures for all [the 81 charters]."
The Salt Lake Arts Academy, one of the oldest charter schools in Salt Lake City, is in its 10th year. The school recently received a $102,000 grant from the Daniels Fund, which will furnish new classrooms and add technology.
The school received an 81 percent in its academic score, which put it in the second highest quartile for all charters.
That score is based on several measurements, including student proficiency on end-of-year tests; student growth on end-of-year tests; student retention; and for high schools, graduation rates and ACT scores.
However, the Arts Academy was in the lowest quartile in finances (at 57 percent) and in governance (42 percent).
Principal Amy Wadsworth said those scores need to be put into context. She pointed out the school is purchasing its building, so it has high debt.
And Wadsworth said the school was "dinged" because a certified teacher, who teaches grades 7-8, is missing an endorsement. The school has 300 students in grades 5-8.
"I think [the new measurements] are very valuable for the state [education] office and charter board because they'll understand the context of it, but it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to the public," Wadsworth said. "I have no objection to it."
Charter board staff, along with the Center for Research on Education and Outcomes at Stanford University, developed the new performance standards.
This is the first, or baseline, year, so charter officials cautioned against making immediate comparisons.
Charter school finances were measured under the following criteria: current ratio of short-term liabilities compared to short-term assets, cash on hand, debt ratio, adherence to budget, occupancy costs and audit findings.
Wasatch Peak Academy in North Salt Lake received an 87 percent overall academic score, putting it in the highest quartile, and had a similar finance score of 85 percent.
Principal Sandy Shepard said the elementary school, which receives Title 1 funding for having students from low-income homes, does well because of quality teaching and involved parents. She added the school is also buying its building, so it has high debt.
"I think it's a great way to show how schools compare across the state," Shepard said.
The Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering & Science in Layton had the highest overall academic score for a high school at 90 percent, for finances at 100 percent, but in governance received an 80 percent score.
Governance measurements included whether charter board members are taking professional development classes, whether reports are submitted on time and complete, and whether all teachers are qualified and licensed.
Academy Principal Alan Stokes said the school needs to complete background checks on all of its board members, and he said he has no issue with the new performance measurement.
"It's extra but we're always doing extra," Stokes said of the early-college high school, where 40 seniors this year received their high school diplomas, as well as associate's degrees.
The State Charter School Board will use the new performance scores for three main reasons: to provide examples of best practice targets for charters; to act as an early warning system for charter schools in trouble; and to assist the state board in monitoring the overall system.
Chris Bleak of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools said the new system is appropriate for keeping charters accountable.
"I believe that this is an important first step," Bleak said. "[In future years] we'll be able to analyze it and fine tune it."
Officials said the new performance data will soon be available on the State Charter School Board website.
Twitter@rayutah Academics, engagement
Schools were rated based on student proficiency and growth on end-of-year tests; student retention; and for high schools, graduation rates and ACT scores.
Top 5
Ranches Academy
George Washington Academy
North Star Academy
Bear River Charter School
Good Foundations Academy
Bottom 5
Dual Immersion Academy
Utah Virtual Academy
Alianza Academy
Quail Run Primary School
Unitah River High
Financial status
Schools were rated on current ratio of short-term liabilities compared to short-term assets, cash on hand, debt ratio, adherence to budget and occupancy costs, and audit findings.
Top 5
Academy for Math, Engineering and Science (AMES)
Bear River Charter School
Canyon Rim Academy
City Academy
Fast Forward High
Bottom 5
Endeavor Hall
Maria Montessori Academy
North Star Academy
Odyssey Charter School
Weilenmann School of Discovery
Governance measurements, which could change, this year included whether reports are submitted on time and complete, and whether all teachers are qualified and licensed.
Top 5
Beehive Science & Technology Academy
Early Light Academy at Daybreak
Noah Webster Academy
North Star Academy
Ogden Preparatory Academy
Bottom 5
East Hollywood High
Merit College Preparatory Academy
Salt Lake Arts Academy
Liberty Academy
Uintah River High


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"The Lone Ranger" is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
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05 Sep 14. As U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan winds down, a workhorse electronic protection system that helps helicopter aircrews survive attacks from shoulder-fired weapons, prepares to be redeployed to other regions. For the last five years, the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system has protected helicopters and their crews in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The threat of ground-based explosives made the use of helicopters for troop and equipment transportation in this region standard operating procedure.
The ATIRCM system was developed as the result of a partnership between the U.S. Army and our company to counter the omnipresent threat of shoulder-fired weapons known as ManPortable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). These heat-seeking missiles home in on the infrared energy generated by the heat of an aircraft's engine, making helicopters ideal targets. ATIRCM was designed as the countering component of an integrated suite which includes, its "eyes", the Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) which can cue either ATIRCM's laser response or the other component of the integrated suite, a flare dispenser.
To assure that troops were not vulnerable to these heat-seeking missiles during their time in the Middle East, ATIRCM was deployed on mission critical helicopters. The ATIRCM system is an electronic device installed on the helicopter that tracks an incoming missile, and then shines laser light into the missile's "eyes", effectively blinding its guidance and preventing it from homing in on the aircraft.
Colonel John (Russ) Leaphart, (recently retired) Army program manager for Aircraft Survivability Equipment under whose leadership the ATIRCM system emerged as a benchmark for reliability, said during his tenure that, "the ATIRCM system's performance is an achievement that we can all be proud of in our commitment to giving our warfighters the best survivability equipment available."
Arming helicopter crews with a protection system containing sensitive optical components that can provide high reliability in the harsh, low-altitude, military environment is no easy task, but the ATIRCM system has surpassed all Army expectations. The technology has achieved a level of reliability that gives aircrews the confidence to know that whenever they take off, they can count on the protection designed to help them accomplish their missions and return safely. The latest numbers show the reliability of ATIRCM to be 1,110 hours, which is the mean time between mission affecting failures, surpasses the Army requirement several times over.
"We've been consistently investing in this technology and continuously improving its reliability. With the latest plans that the ATIRCM system will be in the field until at least 2023, we know the significance of continuing to fund the types of technology that make for easy capability upgrades," said Terry Crimmins, vice president and general manager of BAE System's Survivability and Targeting Systems.
A major part of our company investment has been in a program internally known as Boldstroke, which became the foundation of our Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) offering – a lighter, even more advanced version of the ATIRCM system. The CIRCM system uses the same high power combat-proven laser technology as ATIRCM, but in a smaller package.
With the pervasive threat of MANPADS to allied forces in all regions of the world, technology like the ATIRCM system will continue to be an essential element of aircraft survivability. The ATIRCM system has demonstrated that it can answer the call in times of urgent need and will be there the next time it is called upon to help bring troops home safely. (Source: ASD Network)


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The former record theft of 45 million credit card numbers has been topped. Three hackers face charges for stealing over 130 million credit and debit card numbers via malware and an SQL injection attack on corporate servers. The head honcho now faces 20 years in prison.
A Florida man may have busted the world record for consumer data theft after allegedly stealing 130 million credit and debit card numbers. The US Department of Justice announced Monday afternoon that 28-year-old Albert Gonzales and two co-conspirators had been indicted for conspiracy. If true, Gonzales and gang may have beaten the credit card theft high score of 45 million accounts nearly three times over.
Gonzales, going by the online name of "segvec," and his two buddies (soupnazi and j4guar17, in case you were wondering) allegedly began researching the credit card systems used by various companies in October of 2006 and devised the attack to steal the data in question. The team chose an SQL injection exploit to get around corporate firewalls to steal credit and debit information. Their success had led to charges of conspiracy to hack into certain retail and financial organizations, as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
It appears that, in many cases, they succeeded—according to the DoJ, the team successfully jacked 130 million card numbers and transmitted them to servers in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. Some of the companies affected by the attack include convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Heartland Payment Systems (a credit card processor), and Hannaford Brothers Co. (a supermarket chain).
The DoJ describes the incident as "the largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States." Indeed, before today, the former high score was represented by the scarlet letter on TJX's forehead, parent company of retailer T.J. Maxx. That data breach involved "at least" 45.7 million credit and debit card numbers that occurred between mid-2005 and early 2007, as well as various points in 2003 and 2004. The theft of such a massive amount of data occurred, unsurprisingly, due to glaring security holes in the computer systems that process and store payment information.
Gonzales' success came for similarly stupid reasons. Heartland Payment Systems, one of the companies victimized, revealed earlier this year that it may have leaked up to 100 million credit and debit accounts onto the black market due to malware in its system. It turns out that one of the systems in the payment processing chain had been infected with an unidentified bit of malware designed to track and report the magnetic information stored on the back of a credit card as that data was sent through the system. Though Heartland said that no personally identifiable information was transmitted, that magnetic data could easily be transferred to a new physical card.
Gonzales is facing up to 20 years in prison, and isn't likely to win over any sympathy points on this one, either. As it turns out, he is already in federal custody thanks to a previous incident wherein he supposedly hacked the network for a major restaurant chain in May of 2008. Additionally, in August of 2008, Gonzales was indicted for a series of other retail hacks that affected eight major retailers and the theft of 40 million more credit card numbers. "The charges announced today relate to a different pattern of hacking activity that targeted different corporate victims and involved different co-conspirators," explained the DoJ. Given Gonzales' history, it seems that 130 million credit and debit cards may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Source: ars technica


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Good Morning! As I mentioned last week in my DIY Costume post, I will be giving away a halloween costume this month. But not just any costume, it will be custom, one of a kind costume made just for you child!
(1. pig in a blanket, 2. sheep, 3. garden flower, 4. bat)
Here's how it works:
Head over to thredup.com and find a piece of clothing that sparks Continue reading


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Werner Arber
Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
- Born:
- June 3, 1929, Gränichen, Switzerland (age 94)
- Awards And Honors:
- Nobel Prize (1978)
- Subjects Of Study:
- enzyme
- nuclease
- restriction enzyme
Werner Arber (born June 3, 1929, Gränichen, Switzerland) is a Swiss microbiologist, corecipient with Daniel Nathans and Hamilton Othanel Smith of the United States of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for 1978. All three were cited for their work in molecular genetics, specifically the discovery and application of enzymes that break the giant molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into manageable pieces, small enough to be separated for individual study but large enough to retain bits of the genetic information inherent in the sequence of units that make up the original substance.
Arber studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, the University of Geneva, and the University of Southern California. He served on the faculty at Geneva from 1960 to 1970 and later was professor of microbiology at the University of Basel (1971–96). In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI named Arber president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; he held the post until 2017.
During the late 1950s and early '60s Arber and several others extended the work of an earlier Nobel laureate, Salvador Luria, who had observed that bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) not only induce hereditary mutations in their bacterial hosts but at the same time undergo hereditary mutations themselves. Arber's research was concentrated on the action of protective enzymes present in the bacteria, which modify the DNA of the infecting virus—e.g., the restriction enzyme, so-called for its ability to restrict the growth of the bacteriophage by cutting the molecule of its DNA to pieces.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Mystery Sony big-screen ereader to sport E Ink bender
Liable to be pliable, folks
E Ink reckons its "Mobius" flexible epaper screen will be the first of its kind to go into mass production, an event the company claims will take place some time later this year.
The Mobius will make its debut as a 13.3-inch panel built into a unnamed "digital paper product" made by Sony, which co-developed the panel with E Ink. The Taiwanese screen company is handling the manufacturing.
The new panel is essentially an E Ink display built out of a thin-film transistor backplane - the bit that controls the state of the display pixels - of the kind that's used in LCD screens but here based on a flexible plastic substrate rather than a sheet of glass.
E Ink's pixel technology is also used in Plastic Logic's flexible display technology, sitting on top of a Plastic Logic bendy plastic TFT sheet in much the same way it sits on Sony's pliable TFT backplane.
Plastic Logic says it can produce screens of up to 15.4 inches in size, but has yet to put one into mass-production. The technology has made its way into a fair few prototypes, though.
Mobius predecessor: LG's erstwhile 19-inch epaper prototype
And, to be fair, Sony's mysterious digital paper product is just at the prototype stage too. The Japanese giant will be showing it off later this week at the Tokyo's Educational IT Solutions Expo. E Ink will be demonstrating Mobius at the Society for Information Display's Display Week 2013 show later this month.
The big question is, is Sony using Mobius to create a genuinely different and interesting product - a bendy one, essentially, that's a real alternative to paper - or simply use the technology to make a rigid device, such as its current ebook reader, lighter and thinner?
El Reg's hardware desk suspects the latter. It's relatively easy to make a flexible e-ink display, and there have been many prototypes over the past five years, from the likes of HP, Philips and LG, as well as E Ink and Plastic Logic. It's a darn sight harder, however, to make the battery and other key electronic components thin enough to keep the whole thing bendy but also light enough to be picked up and carried like a sheet of thin cardboard. ®


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NEW YORK (AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a judge's decision to strike down New York City's groundbreaking ban on big sugary drinks is merely a "temporary setback."
Bloomberg spoke Tuesday while visiting a Manhattan diner that is voluntarily complying with the policy. It's ditching 20-ounce bottles of soda and reserving 24-ounce to-go cups for iced coffee.
Eateries from corner delis to movie concession stands got a last-minute reprieve from the judge on Monday.
The judge said the rule was arbitrary and outside city health regulators' purview.
City officials point to the city's rising obesity rate and studies tying sugary drinks to weight gain. Opponents call the rule unfair and wrong-headed.


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Bitcoin soared nearly 7% last week and was trading above $19,600 —nearly its highest level in nearly three years. The value of Bitcoin has more than doubled in 2020. The gains have been particularly dramatic in the past few weeks, with Bitcoin rising 43% since Nov.1st.And many believe that it may not be long before Bitcoin finally tops the all-time high of just under $20,000, reached in December 2017.
As popular as Bitcoin, ONU keeps rising since it entered the crypto market this year. Have been released on Sep.12th, according the official, ONU's performance surpassed the expectations. And the price of it in markets now rose to $0.55-implying a 550% increase when comparing its initial offering price at just $0.1. "Higher prices are on the way, since the highest point reached to $0.7 that is increase by a factor of seven," said Edward Wilson -the Marketing Director of ONU,"and the good news is that the best time to buy is now because the prices on HyperEx LaunchPad are still temptingly low at only $0.3, anyone who joins in can surly enjoy a lot of expected return. And the investment at the moment will unsurprisingly be an unqualified success."
When asked the reason of ONU's initial success, Mr. Wilson shared his opinion. Like many other cryptocurrencies, the main reason of the rising is the growing interest and confident in the cryptocurrency builds and the US dollar weakens. At the same time, we have also benefited from companies like PayPal (PYPL) and Square (SQ) who embracing cryptocurrencies as a viable payments options and investments. But what really made ONU exceptional I think is the HyperEx- a powerful exchange platform which ONU based on.
During the last few months, many new products,tools as well as many other resources have been consolidated into this platform. And the social games their team developed for this platform made a blockbuster debut on Southeast Asian market, attracting 2000+ registered users to play at the launch date. More than 20 kinds of game have been offered in HyperEx, and the team are doing their best to satisfy player expectations. As Mr. Wilson explained, this is perhaps the best way to scale their offer and find new players who are willing to join them.
Onboarding (including registration, gameplay, and banking) in HyperEx are easy and understandable. And just like with some casino with good reputation, the products it offers are fair,that can make sure to give players an honest chance to win. This new kind of Crypto Casinos are definitely worth a shot. Currencies such as BCH, ETH and ONU,and even some altcoins are already available to gamble with in HyperEx. What's more, players can find a generous welcome bonus that is usually worth at least 100 ONU or perhaps even more. The ONU casinos, for example, will make it easy for you find your bearings, enjoy the best selection of games, and generally have a blast. There are all sorts of crypto bonuses too.
Generally speaking, the new products, plentiful games, unique design style make HyperEx different and become the outstanding one. No wonder it has over 60 thousand registered members in Just 3months. Meaning while, there are over 40 thousand holders are trading in the exchange with ONU holders makes up almost half of the total. Also, its gambling membership grew to more than 15 thousand active players. With Christmas is around the corner, HyperEx is doing a special event. ONU Pilots can get up to 8% referral reward from all the leads purchased by their follows. And this fact is applicable to all ONU Pilots – not at any level.
Coronavirus is having a ripple effect on the gambling industry. Though it may be bad news for casino resorts, however-good news for online casinos and betting sites. The betting landscape is changing, and there are many reputable online casinos exist though, many more are still in needed since they can provide a much safer environment than a crowded casino or football stadium. On the whole, the price of ONU looks to further increase. And HyperEx crypto casinos program is now valued more highly by the market.
- Model Priya Jain Makes a Major Impact with Naked Lynx Loungewear - January 30, 2023
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Microinsurance: Monitoring a Maturing Market
Last week WillisWire blogger George Haitsch asserted that one of the greatest risks of 2013 for businesses of all kinds is missing out on emerging markets. That applies to the insurance industry itself, and includes the potential represented by the burgeoning microinsurance market in the BRIC bloc and elsewhere. A couple of recent announcements suggest that the opportunity continues to mature.
Yesterday the Luxembourg-based Microinsurance Network's chairman Craig Churchill asserted that microinsurance currently provides coverage to 500 million people and that as many as 1 billion may be covered by 2020. The previous day, Jan. 29, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focused on private sector development, issued a joint release with MiCRO (Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation, Barbados) announcing that the two organizations had embarked on a $1.96 million project to help thousands of low-income micro entrepreneurs in Haiti protect their livelihoods against weather-related risks and natural disasters.
"The expansion of the sector is being facilitated by the emergence of alternative distribution channels and public-private partnerships, the adoption of technological innovations as well as an increased awareness amongst insurance companies of the business case for microinsurance," comments Eugenio Velasques of Brazilian insurer Bradesco Seguros e Previdência, quoted in the Microinsurance Network's statement.
If the Microinsurance Network's Churchill is right about 500 current insureds and 1 billion within the decade, then this could represent a significant opportunity not only for insurers seeking emerging markets, but for the industry to foster virtuous economic cycle that fosters increasing wealth through securing property. Much will depend on whether those covered are genuine policyholders or beneficiaries of some kind of charity or subsidy.
Everybody laments poverty but microinsurance is one of the few things prosperous people may be able to do to effectively combat it. Charity, which flows in after incidents such as Haiti's 2010 earthquake, speaks well of intentions but rarely produces enduring improvements. Investment, on the other hand, has far greater potential to have long-term results. In poor countries, industrious people are hampered from accumulating wealth because they lack the means to protect their assets against risk. Micro lending and microinsurance could, at least theoretically, provide both a risk-spreading mechanism to address common hazards, such as weather events, as well as financial institutions to protect their accumulated capital.
The challenge is to make microinsurance, and microfinance in general, a profitable enterprise. Some Third-World observers have decried the very idea as exploitation, but their position is wrong, both morally and practically. Ultimately the question is a practical one: can investment capital help to make poor people become more prosperous. That's the only question worth asking. Otherwise we risk keeping some people impoverished in order to avoid others growing more prosperous. But opponents are morally wrong too. Charity creates a benefactor/dependent relationship; trade enables autonomous moral equals to act for mutual benefit.
[To read about how MiCRO operates in Haiti, see MiCRO Demonstrates Viability of Parametric Underwriting for Microinsurance Coverage.]
If microinsurance can be made profitable, it will draw more capital to places that previously couldn't expect such investment. People able to secure small amounts of wealth can build more wealth. Small enterprises that are not knocked back by small shocks can become larger enterprises, and accumulated local capital can also be invested with less risk. Greater wealth can also help to further diminish risk through measures such as building codes and civil engineering projects. It was risk mitigation mechanisms — such as insurance and limited liability incorporation — enabled the First World in the first place; they have the potential do the same for the Third World.
The concern that remains in some markets is how much microinsurance represents a profitable business and how much it represents a charitable enterprise. In Haiti, it still seems to be more the latter than the former: IFC's $1.96 million project with MiCRO includes a $1.7 million performance-based grant and $260,000 in technical assistance from the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF, another World Bank entity).
Sometimes one has to invest in the possibility of investment, and maybe that's the case in Haiti and other emerging markets. But a virtuous economic cycle capable of transforming poor communities into prosperous ones will require the kinds of capital osmosis created by profitable investment.
Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio


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Over the four decades that heavy metal has been with us, people in responsible positions in society have gradually become more accepting of it as an art form and a message from its fanbase.
Such acceptance could not exist without people like Dr. Martin Jacobsen, who by teaching a class on heavy metal as literature has introduced academics to the depth and richness of this genre.
For the past semester, Dr. Jacobsen has been teaching "Heavy Metal as a Literary Genre" at WTAMU, where he introduces students to the literary and artistic aspects of heavy metal. In addition, he writes for Death Metal Underground and is a world-recognized expert in death metal who is active in his local death metal scene.
Jacobsen has returned to teach another semester of the class, which seems to be attracting more students as word of it spreads. We were able to follow up on our first interview with Professor Jacobsen to get a feel for what has changed between the years.
This is the second time you're offering your class on heavy metal, "Heavy Metal as a Literary Genre." Was the last time a success?
It was beyond successful. Our local paper did a story on us that went viral — ultimately being translated into 7 or 8 languages, and garnering a spot on Brazilian TV and an Canadian Public Radio. Our 15 minutes of fame. DMU was the first to pick up the story, and we are very grateful for your support of our class.
How have you changed the class? Is the class format the same?
It'll be a discussion class with lots of music-about 50-50. I have added a lecture devoted to death metal, and I plan to add others about other forms. I'm going to require more writing and much more stringent guidelines for that writing. I've also invited local recording and performing artists speak about the lifestyle, the recording process, touring.
What is a typical class period like?
We will begin each day with a student presentation of a song . There will be a required PowerPoint slide with it to show the group, album, lyrics, and so on, in proper style-sheet format. It's a quantity/quality thing. That will be the first 10 minutes or so. There we will have a lesson in which a sub-genre, group, musician or other germane idea is presented in a standard format: Premises, basically the context behind the thesis; thesis, the point of the lecture; and evidence, documented proof of the point and sample songs to let the students hear it for themselves. I am hoping that we will have a Metal God Profile or two, and if we run across something important as we listen and discuss, we will go with it. We will also, I'm hoping, have guest speakers, and I do plan to bring my guitar in to define certain musical structures and so on.
What disciplines does HMLG touch on? It's a literature class about music; does that influence what you teach?
We will treat music as if it were literature, looking at its structures, motifs, themes. We will identify the features of heavy metal and how those features are altered to signify different sub-genres. There will be a strong trans-historical structure to the class. I like to think of the history of heavy metal as dominoes standing up. Black Sabbath kicked off the genre and their early albums really set the dominoes in motion. But rather than falling, the dominoes rose like headstones.
You were recently quoted in the Amarillo Globe-News with a definition of death metal:
"Death Metal is an extreme form of metal that tends to privilege growled vocals, blast-beat drumming and virtuosic guitar work. Death metal often uses lengthy compositions featuring minor keys and multiple tempo changes. Thematically, death metal often focuses on violence and gore, but themes of all kinds are interrogated by death metal bands, usually reflecting a pessimistic, even hopeless, outlook. Multiple subgenres exist under the banner of death metal."
Do you teach such things in the class? Do you realize how totally awesome it is to be quoted in your local newspaper as a death metal expert?
We do work with definitions. And it's damned cool to be quoted as an expert.
You have become a proficient guitarist over the last few months. What has this taught you about metal?
It is sophisticated music. It's pushing the edges most of the time. In so many ways, it's like classical music. It uses tempo changes, it's riff-driven, it features instrumental virtuosity. Learning how to play again has given me a hands-on, ears-on ability to both understand and interrogate elements that would have been only something I'd have talked about before. I'm thinking about taking my guitar to class for some illustrative lessons. Last term, I had students who didn't know what a riff is. And amp in the room will quickly solve that. Anyway, It's given me the musical part of the class in a way no other practice could. Knowing a solo or riff enhances my ability to articulate the ways that such elements differentiate or sustain a genre.
This recent guitar-playing is following up on a youthful musical career. Can you tell us about that? What groups were you in, and what styles did they play?
Career is a bit of an overstatement, but I did play in a couple of local groups. One comprised classmates of mine, and we played mostly pop. I was lead guitarist. The other band was a metal band. I played rhythm guitar. We did mostly well-known metal of the early 1980s-Dio, Def Leppard, Scorpions, AC/DC. It was kid stuff in many ways.
What forms of music do you listen to, when you have no agenda at hand? Does this correspond to what was current when you were of high school – college age?
My tastes have gotten heavier as I've gotten older. I didn't listen to anything really heavy in high school. I started metal as a young adult. I returned to it about ten years ago. I like classic metal best. I'm starting to like death metal bands that end up progressive bands, like Opeth. But I like heavy music. Black Sabbath is my favorite group.
I also listen to a lot of prog, Yes and Kansas being my favorites. I like the Flying Colors supergroup. I like some southern rock, but I don't have a systematic understanding of it in the same way as I do about metal.
What is heavy metal? Is it distinct from rock music? Is death metal distinct from other forms of heavy metal?
We actually sought to define heavy metal as a a group last time. We ended up with this: "Heavy metal is a form of rock music with a heavy, distorted, menacing sound and concerned with dark, disturbing, and pessimistic themes."
Death Metal is distinct from other forms. It's often more thematically disturbing than other forms, but in many instances beside the obviously shock-based bands and motifs, it's disturbing because it's asking the questions other forms of art — or even metal — do not ask. I'm also really taken with instrumental virtuosity. Death metal tends to privilege excellent playing. It's a boundary extension thing. And the structures of good death metal are frequently quite elaborate, even symphonic. I think it's also interesting that some death metal masterminds, say Schuldiner or Åkerfeldt-become proggy later. It's another type of boundary testing. As I say so often, metal is in so many ways similar to classical music. It's not surprising that death metal sometimes veers into other genres. Compare that with black metal, which so often seems to have simplicity and even homogeneity as elements of its ethos.
You have said, in the past that much of heavy metal's content is similar to Romanticism. What was Romanticism? Does it still walk among us?
It totally does. I think of Romanticism as applied Platonic philosophy. Metal at its best offers a way of thinking about music and thinking that breaks the boundaries and lays before us the larger patterns of musical and thematic expression. It's the boundaries that are interesting to me. And the Romantics did that. They looked at classical sources and wrote (or expressed via many art forms) about their own experiences within that frame.
Has heavy metal changed the way you look at literature?
I think so. I think all art sharpens perceptions and adds ways of experiencing other forms. I've taken up the guitar again after a very long time. And while my playing is a work-in-progress, playing again sharpens my listening and adds a critical lens I didn't have last time. I'm not sure this is a very good answer to your question. I think the way metal expresses itself is literary in its basic constructions, so engaging that enhances how I think. Analyzing lyrics is literary analysis, so from that standpoint I am definitely applying my training to the process and gaining from doing so. And metal also has other ethos-building elements that any humanities scholar would find interesting.
Contact with your students has deepened your own experience of metal apparently. Can you tell us about this?
I have bonded with several students from the earlier class, and I've actually met some of my future students at shows. Some of my former students play in local bands. I think it's incumbent upon me to know my local scene. But the local scene here has become much more to me than metalheads I know. They've become my community.
Do you think the administration at WTAMU have become more open to heavy metal thanks to the first semester of this class and the response to it?
Yes. It's a permanent addition to our course offerings in an era when core classes are evaporating.
Do you think or have experience that this class has made students more motivated to check out more literature?
Yes. I was able to get them to think about books and to read closely for class discussion. Again, it's a humanities class and the title is a little misleading. We are embracing other forms. But in identifying the literary influences in metal, I have been able to get students to try literature they may not otherwise have tried.
You're now one of the foremost instructors using metal in classes in the world. What advice do you have for other educators along these lines?
Well, thank you. That's very kind. The advice I'd give is to proceed only if you have the freedom to do it right. My department and university totally backed me. I'll also say that you should tap into student knowledge. This is a class where the students may know as much or more about "their" metal as I do about mine. It's a bit of a partnership. A Facebook page is a good idea too. It takes the learning into their lives where metal is a constant and collects their experiences for the class.
Will there be a open course / distance learning version of the class? Have you considered packaging it as videos like the classes on Coursera or MIT's open courseware?
We can do it. And the idea of podcasts has been bandied about.
Tags: academia, black sabbath, education, Heavy Metal, literature, martin jacobsen, metal academia


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You could fill a page with a list of outstanding goals scored by him. You could fill two pages with a list of the goals that had their genius in his vision. And you could fill a dictionary with a list of superlatives used to describe his 11-year career with Arsenal. Dennis Bergkamp is quite simply a legend of the game.
In the last two decades many one-time unknowns have left Highbury with a fearsome reputation and much-warranted acclaim. But, in a way, Dennis was an exception; he came, and left, with a world-class calibre.
His arrival signalled a daring change in outlook from the men in charge at Arsenal. George Graham had been replaced by Bruce Rioch and 'Boring, Boring Arsenal' was to be replaced by something altogether more beautiful. Bergkamp was the catalyst.
Of course Rioch's Highbury sojourn came to an abrupt end and in September 1996 Arsène Wenger took the reins. Bergkamp needn't have fretted over his place in the Frenchman's plans, though, and Wenger later claimed Dennis' presence in the ranks had been "a blessing, a gift when I arrived".
And so it was that under the tutelage of Wenger, Bergkamp redefined football in England's top division. His textbook technique, physical prowess and second-nature for picking out the killer pass made him the ultimate symbol of fantasy football. Indeed when Arsenal usurped Manchester United as the country's best team in 1998, Bergkamp, too, succeeded Eric Cantona as the Premier League's brightest beacon of European excellence. That Double season Arsenal's No 10 was outstanding and his reward at the end of the campaign was both major Player of Year awards to go with his Championship and FA Cup medals.
But, strangely, Bergkamp had had a fitful beginning to life in London, failing to score in his first seven senior outings. Pressure was mounting not least from the tabloid media who had branded the Dutchman 'Hartle-Fool' after failing to score against the North East minnows in a League Cup tie. How wrong they were. Within a week the Iceman confounded his critics with a cool brace at home to Southampton. He never looked back.
Numbers alone will not convey his pioneering pedigree. For the record though, Bergkamp plundered 120 goals in his time with Arsenal, making him the 10th highest goalscorer in the Club's history; quite the achievement for a man who doesn't do tap-ins.
The swivel at St James', the lob against Leverkusen — goals coming just four days apart — the Filbert Street finale and of course the belter against Bolton that assured Arsenal a place in Europe. Everything Bergkamp did oozed class. From his rifle-sight accuracy with either foot or his exploitation of space, the Dutchman was the hub of Arsenal creativity for a decade.
Even age couldn't wither his genius. Four years after guiding Arsenal to Premier League domination Bergkamp was at it again as Wenger's men ruled once more. It was a similar story in 2003 as the Gunners marched to another FA Cup triumph, but by now Dennis was almost 34 and his contract was up. But Arsenal couldn't let him go and he penned a one-year extension. Bergkamp repaid the faith shown in him with a typically classy season. The 'Invincibles', especially Messrs Henry, Ljungberg, Pires and Reyes, had a lot to be thankful for.
But time eventually caught up with Dennis and he decided, as Arsenal left Highbury, that his playing time was up. Only something massive and memorable would be good enough to reflect the impact the Dutchman had on the Club. The occasion of Bergkamp's testimonial fitted the bill perfectly. The stars came out in force to honour one of the game's greats - Marco van Basten and Johan Cruyff to name but two.
And the honours kept coming. In September 2007, Bergkamp was inducted in to the National Football Museum Hall of Fame, the first Dutchman to achieve such acclaim.
Some players elicit admiration, some provide inspiration, and a precious few can do both. Bergkamp was one such individual. His cast-iron technique was forged on the youth team training ground at Ajax and his steely character developed at Inter. But his best years will always belong to Arsenal.


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By the brilliant Bruce Baker.
"Corporate Reform" or Failed, Desperate Corporate Management?
Posted on July 26, 2013I suspect there are a lot of readers of my blog and twitter followers who frequently use the phrase "corporate reform" to characterize the current heavily privately financed movement to push specific "reforms" to public education systems. My readers may not have noticed, but I tend not to use this phrase. I have a few reasons for my avoidance of this term. First, it's my impression that the term necessarily implies corporate to mean "evil." That a corporate mindset – meaning private sector for profit business mindset can do no good. I'm cynical, but not that cynical. I actually do think there are good, for profit corporations out there. Perhaps they are dwindling in their numbers and power base, but I still think they exist.
But here are my main reasons why I don't roll with the whole "corporate reform" lingo. That the education reforms being pushed – that are cast as "corporate reforms" – a) really aren't that common in private sector for profit business and b) they suck – even in (perhaps especially in) private for profit business. The supposed "corporate reforms" being advocated for the takeover of public education are reasonably well understood among analysts of private for profit business to be failed models. Models of desperation forcibly implemented by CEOs of businesses in decline – CEOs who often are on the verge of their own ouster due to their persistent failures of leadership. Thus, their solution – their secret sauce – blame the employees – force groups of employees to beat the hell out of each other – distracting from the failures of leadership. Sound familiar? Well, here are two vivid cases that should sound familiar.
The Portfolio Model at Sears
One popular component of what is referred to as the corporate reform movement in public education is the replacement of traditional public districts with a portfolio of public and private providers of schooling options who will compete to attract students and be accountable for posting good test scores. Thus, all boats will rise as a function of competitive pressures – and no child will be left without great schooling alternatives. A wonderful replacement for our current failing urban schools, right? Well, as I've explained previously, the system we've put in place to implement and evaluate schools under such models doesn't actually work this way. Large segments of students go un-served entirely, as in New Orleans. Schools aggressively cream skim each other's desired students in order to post good numbers, and shed masses of students that don't aid them in the rat-race. The model has evolved over time from portfolio to parasitic, or perhaps even cannibalistic.
But hey, this stuff works great in the private sector, so why shouldn't it work well for schools?
Not so fast. One of the most apt comparisons might be the recent follies of Sears. The title of this article says it all:
At Sears, Eddie Lampert's Warring Divisions Model Adds to the Troubles
Ya' see, Eddie Lampert figured, like "ed reformers" that if we could simply capitalize on the inherent greed and selfishness of individuals ("rational" behavior as described in econ literature) in the corporate workforce, we can get them to work harder and harder to out-compete each other to achieve greater financial reward, and the obvious result will be greater profitability for the company as a whole? Right. The way to do this would be to break Sears into several parts, and make those parts compete with each other to post good measurable outcomes. As described in the article:
Although Lampert is notoriously media-averse, he agreed to answer questions about Sears's organizational model via e-mail. "Decentralized systems and structures work better than centralized ones because they produce better information over time," Lampert writes. "The downside is that, to some, it appears messier than centralized systems." Lampert adds that the structure enables him to evaluate the individual parts of Sears, so he can collect "significantly better information and drive decision-making and accountability at a more appropriate level."
Lampert created the model because he wanted deeper data, which he could use to analyze the company's assets. It's why he hired Paul DePodesta, the Harvard-educated statistician immortalized by Michael Lewis in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, to join Sears's board. He wanted to use nontraditional metrics to gain an edge, like DePodesta did for the Oakland Athletics in Moneyball and is trying to repeat in his current job with the New York Mets. Only so far, Lampert's experiment resembles a different book: The Hunger Games.
Personally, I enjoy that this is another example of using Moneyball as an excuse to implement a painfully ignorant adaptation of the concept. How many times have we heard test-based teacher evaluation advocates similarly mindlessly invoke the moneyball comparison? Far more predictably, as described above, the result was Hunger Games (which is far more applicable than moneyball to current ed reform strategies in so many ways).
As the article further explains, quite predictably:
As some employees had feared, individual business units started to focus solely on their own profitability and stopped caring about the welfare of the company as a whole. According to several former executives, the apparel division cut back on labor to save money, knowing that floor salesmen in other departments would inevitably pick up the slack. Turf wars sprang up over store displays. No one was willing to make sacrifices in pricing to boost store traffic.
Former Sears executives say their biggest objection to Lampert's model is that it discourages cooperation. "Organizations need a holistic strategy," says Erik Rosenstrauch, former head of Sears's DieHard unit, who is now CEO of Fuel Partnerships, a retail marketing agency. As the business unit leaders pursued individual profits, rivalries broke out. Former executives say they began to bring laptops with screen protectors to meetings so their colleagues couldn't see what they were doing.
Appliance maker Kenmore is a widely recognized brand sold exclusively at Sears. Under SOAR, the appliances unit had to pay fees to the Kenmore unit. Because the appliances unit could make more money selling devices manufactured by outside brands, such as LG Electronics, it began giving Kenmore's rivals more prominent placement in stores. A similar problem arose when Craftsman, Sears's beloved tool brand, considered selling a tool with a battery made by DieHard, also owned by Sears. Craftsman didn't want to pay extra royalties to DieHard, so the idea was quashed.
And here are some more detailed examples:
The bloodiest battles took place in the marketing meetings, where different units sent their CMOs to fight for space in the weekly circular. These sessions would often degenerate into screaming matches. Marketing chiefs would argue to the point of exhaustion. The result, former executives say, was a "Frankenstein" circular with incoherent product combinations (think screwdrivers being advertised next to lingerie).
Eventually Lampert's advisory committee instituted a bidding system, forcing the units to pay for space in the circular. This eliminated some of the infighting but created a new problem: The wealthier business units, such as appliances, could purchase more space. Two former business unit heads recall how, for the 2011 Mother's Day circular, the sporting-goods unit purchased space on the cover for a product called a Doodle Bug minibike, popular with young boys.
The details in this article are wonderfully applicable to portfolio management of urban schooling. Please read the rest of it, and ponder it in relation to some of my other posts, like this, or this.
So, with respect to portfolio, I mean parasitic… or perhaps cannibalistic management strategies, I'll go all reformy for a moment and adopt the phrase "sector agnosticism." This strategy, often cast as a major element of "corporate reform," is a failed strategy of the corporate sector and equally toxic in public education. Indeed, the foolishness behind this approach knows no sector boundaries.
Note: interestingly, the article points out that one possible benefit of Lampert's strategy is that if Sears were to fail so miserably that they eventually had to start selling off their parts, the decentralization of the company and establishment of independent boards for each unit facilitates that process.
IBM's "Bad Employee" Problem and the Solution that Wasn't
We all now know that the reason for our failing public education system is "bad teachers." Teachers with fat pensions, big salaries and who are totally unaccountable for anything, really – especially for helping their students actually get those good test scores that pave the pathway to their future. And that the path to fixing our public education woes is to fire our way to Finland, and to use, really any variant, good bad or indifferent, of student test score growth to sort out the good teachers from bad and to ease the process of getting rid of the bad and incentivizing the good. Obviously, this is how any good private sector business works and so too, it should in schools. After all, we all know that teaching is the only profession where individuals aren't paid based on their performance, or more specifically, based on a very noisy (and statistically biased) regression estimate of math and reading questions answered by 8 to 13 year old children who happen to spend a few hours of weekdays for 10 months with them. Right?
Let's go back 20+ years now, to what b-school types actually seem to refer to as a "John Akers moment." And just what is a "John Akers moment" you ask? Well, John Akers was CEO of a declining IBM in the early 1990s. The simple response by Akers was to blame the employees, by constructing a new, toxic, employee evaluation scheme. Here's how that eval scheme was described at the time:
To identify the best and worst employees, every manager at IBM, beginning this year, will use a seven-page annual evaluation to rate employees on a scale of 1 to 4, with 10 percent receiving the top and bottom grades, and the rest getting 2s and 3s.
The managers will also rank employees by their relative contributions to the business. People who get high rankings are eligible for bonuses, while workers with the lowest grades will be given three months to improve performance or lose their jobs.
IBM says it is not abandoning its no-layoff policy. Rather, in trying to raise performance standards, it is retaining only the best people. "In the competitive world we`re in, we can`t drag along folks who aren`t" making the grade, said Walton E. Burdick, senior vice president of personnel.
What do IBM employees think? "There are feelings that (IBM chief executive John) Akers has been screwing up, and now he`s turning around and trying to blame others," said a 10-year IBM employee who asked not to be named.
The employee`s story shows what a slippery slope IBM may be on. She said she received the second-highest rating — a 2, on what had been a 1-to-5 scale — for most of her career. A few years ago, she got a new boss and her grade slipped to a 3. She thinks the downgrading has more to do with her request for a job transfer than any change in her performance. Now, she says, she is in danger of a 4.
Hmmm… does that sound familiar. Needless to say, Akers plan did not save IBM. Nor did it save Akers, who was ousted soon after.
But some other brilliant leaders in the tech industry, most notably Microsoft, did latch on to the IBM strategy… as a step toward their own long run stagnation. Heck, why would Microsoft ever consider veering from its path of simply copying and implementing even less efficiently, what others have already done? It's gotten them this far.
This article from July 11, 2013 characterizes current conditions at Microsoft as analogous to IBM in 1992.
Most notably, this article explains that one of Microsoft's greatest barriers to succeeding in their most recent (desperate) attempts to restructure, is the company's toxic employee evaluation scheme, as described previously in Vanity Fair:
Major restructuring at any company is almost always traumatic, but Microsoft's ultra-competitive corporate culture will amplify the impact.
Last year a Vanity Fair magazine story described Microsoft's debilitating employee ranking system, in which team leaders are forced to hand out reviews based on a quota system. So at least one member of each group will get a bad review, no matter how well they perform.
That system has fostered a lack of cooperation and vicious office politics, a malady that is said to run through the entire company at all levels.
Put simply, this idea that one can raise the overall quality of the company – even improve its productivity and profitability – by rating, degrading, and dismissing "bad techies" – is simply unfounded.
Like the portfolio mismanagement above, the toxicity of this idea knows no sector boundaries. It's as bad in big, private sector business as it is for schools.
So you see, "Corporate Reform" as currently being pitched for schools is, in fact, FAILED corporate management strategy – often hastily adopted in a moment of leadership desperation – and rarely if ever achieving the desired turn around


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First Successful Breeding of Little Known Snapping Turtle Species
July 27, 2012
On July 16, a worldwide unique breeding success was achieved at Austria's Schönbrunn Zoo aquarium: four young South American Snapping Turtles (Chelydra acutirostris) have recently hatched. Very little is known about this species of turtle, which can be found from Costa Rica to Columbia -- there is hardly any information available about its habits and reproduction nor about the size of population.
"We know of no other zoo where this species is being kept" says Zoo director Dagmar Schratter. Schönbrunn Zoo was given the parent turtles by a private turtle specialist who had to relocate the animals due to his moving abroad. During the past year keepers have been able to observe several matings, and an x-ray examination in March 2012 showed that both females had developed eggs.
A special enclosure was then built for the water turtles where the females soon buried their eggs in the sandy area especially added for this purpose. In an incubator the eggs were then brooded at temperatures between 28°C and 30°C. After 107 days full of suspense, the first baby turtle hatched. Schratter added, "We are thrilled at being the first to have bred this species while gathering data about their reproduction biology and the development of the eggs."
For the time being they are not being shown to the public.
Photo Credit: 1,3,4:Daniel Zupanc /2: Schönbrunn Zoo/Anton Weissenbacher


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text: This paper by Hongping Xu, Moran Furman, Yann S. Mineur, Hui Chen, Sarah L. King, David Zenisek, Z. Jimmy Zhou, Daniel A. Butts, Ning Tian, Marina R. Picciotto and Michael Crair describes a collaborative effort from several laboratories from Yale University, the University of Maryland and the University of Utah. Two former postdoctoral fellows from the laboratory of Ning Tian, Drs. Hongping Xu (the first author) and Hui Chen, were principal contributors. Continue reading "An Instructive Role for Patterned Spontaneous Retinal Activity in Mouse Visual Map Development"


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Collierville residents will be getting a sweet treat soon as Mempops has announced a new location at 3670 Houston Levee Road.
2130 Exeter Road, Germantown, TN 38138: It looks like the Memphis area is finally getting a Trader Joe's. A $750,000 building permit application that lists Trader Joe's as a tenant has been filed with the Office of Construction Code Enforcement.
Collierville residents will be getting a sweet treat soon, as Mempops has announced a new location at 3670 Houston Levee Road.
Collierville residents will be getting a sweet treat soon as Mempops has announced a new location at 3670 Houston Levee.
"We have been bringing the Mempops mobile fleet out to events and festivals in Collierville for years and people just kept asking us to open up a shop out here," operations director J.C. Youngblood said in a release. "The timing was finally right and we couldn't be more excited to expand our flavorful reach."
Morton Museum of Collierville History will hold a lunch and learn Thursday, July 14, at 11 a.m. at 196 Main St. in Collierville. Judith Johnson will talk about the research and process involved with placing the Davis Porter House on the National Register of Historic Places. Call 901-457-2650.
Molly Farrell doesn't recall a childhood spent dreaming about wedding gowns and the perfect ceremony.
Eclectic Eye is turning its sights toward helping Hope House this holiday season.
The optometry practice and eyewear boutique is collecting items from the Memphis-based nonprofit's wish list throughout the month. In addition, for every item donated in December, Eclectic Eye will give $5, up to $500, to the organization.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music will host an opening reception for "Stax: Visions of Soul" Friday, July 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Stax, 926 E. McLemore Ave. Gallery talk begins at 6:45 p.m. The exhibit, which runs through Dec. 31, features contemporary works of art inspired by Stax Records songs. Visit staxmuseum.com.
The Pink Palace will host Young Professionals Beer/Wine and a Movie Night on Thursday, July 16, at 6 p.m. at the museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets are $15 and include food, drinks and a screening of "Groundhog Day." Visit memphismuseums.org or call 901-636-2362.
Mid-South Association for Financial Professionals will meet Thursday, May 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Regions Bank, 6200 Poplar Ave. Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will discuss jobs and economic growth for the city of Memphis. Register at midsouthafp.org.
Sales and Marketing Society of the Mid-South will meet Wednesday, May 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Chickasaw Country Club, 3395 Galloway Ave. Bill Piper with Sandler Training will present "The Buyer Seller Dance." Cost for nonmembers is $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Visit sms-midsouth.org.
Eclectic Eye has announced that its Midtown eyewear boutique will support the DeNeuville Learning Center this holiday season by collecting items from the organization's wish list.
DeNeuville is a nonprofit in Midtown that guides women from all backgrounds and cultures in learning the skills needed to make positive choices for themselves and their families through education, counseling and promoting ways to enhance self-worth.
The sixth annual Man of the House mentoring event for 12- to 18-year-old boys will be held Saturday, June 14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St. A "power lunch" at noon will feature remarks from Sheriff Bill Oldham and Memphis business leaders. Cost is free. Register at manofthehouse.net or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
National Hispanic Professional Organization – Memphis will meet Thursday, June 12, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Sheriff Bill Oldham will speak. On-site registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Cost is free for members and $20 for nonmembers. Email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Eclectic Eye's boutiques are collecting donations for two local nonprofits, the Memphis Child Advocacy Center and the Page Robbins Adult Day Care Center, throughout December.
The Midtown boutique, 242 S. Cooper St., is collecting new teddy bears for the Child Advocacy Center's Bearing It Together program. Eclectic Eye will also donate $5 of every frame purchase to the center, which serves children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse through prevention, education and intervention. Last year, Eclectic Eye donated nearly 140 bears and $1,250 to the nonprofit.
Eclectic Eye's boutiques are collecting donations for two local nonprofits, the Memphis Child Advocacy Center and the Page Robbins Adult Day Care Center, throughout December.
The Midtown boutique, 242 S. Cooper St., is collecting new teddy bears for the Child Advocacy Center's Bearing It Together program. Eclectic Eye will also donate $5 of every frame purchase to the center, which serves children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse through prevention, education and intervention. Last year, Eclectic Eye donated nearly 140 bears and $1,250 to the nonprofit.
Playhouse on the Square will host a performance of "Les Miserables" to benefit the Memphis Child Advocacy Center Saturday, Aug. 17, at 8 p.m. at Playhouse, 66 S. Cooper St. A pre-performance reception and silent auction begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $60 and are available through MCAC, 888-4342.
Eclectic Eye will host a Starck Eyes trunk show Friday, Aug. 16, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its Collierville boutique, 3670 S. Houston Levee Road, suite 102, and an l.a. Eyeworks trunk show Saturday, Aug. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. at its Midtown boutique, 242 S. Cooper St. Visit eclectic-eye.com.
Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club will hold a female business leader lunch Thursday, Aug. 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Napa Cafe, 5101 Sanderlin Ave., suite 122. Female business leaders will discuss various topics, including ways to cultivate programs for women in business. Lunch is Dutch treat. Email email@example.com.
Fashion isn't just about clothing, said the owners of Eclectic Eye, whose business caters to customers who enjoy several different looks in eyewear.
So with a nod to the fashion industry's concept of keeping things fresh, lively and in tune with the current trends, Eclectic Eye is undergoing an extensive makeover of its popular Midtown store.
Local optometric boutique Eclectic Eye is supporting the Memphis Child Advocacy Center this holiday season by collecting teddy bears for the organization's Bearing It Together program, which serves children who are victims of sexual and severe physical abuse through prevention, education and intervention.
The Black Business Association of Memphis will hold a general membership meeting Thursday, May 17, at 8 a.m. at the BBA office, 555 Beale St. Contact BBA at bbamemphis.com, firstname.lastname@example.com or 526-9300.
The Eclectic Eye is hosting a school supply drive this holiday season for five elementary schools.
Donations of new, unused school supplies can be made now through Dec. 31 at the boutique's Midtown location, 242 S. Cooper St., and Collierville location, 3670 S. Houston Levee Road, suite 102.
The Eclectic Eye will celebrate the five-year anniversary of its Collierville boutique Monday, July 18, through Friday, July 22.
The store, at 3670 S. Houston Levee Road, will kick off the celebration by offering in-store discounts, eyewear giveaways and a raffle for boutique and restaurant gift certificates.
Stephanie Singley, the owner of Bella Vita, an upscale gift and interiors shop in Collierville, has created a new store concept – Itty Bitty Bella, which will carry gifts and interiors for infants and children.
Upscale home décor and gift retailer Bella Vita is literally "raising the roof" on its Collierville store at 3670 Houston Levee Road – an expansion that's not exactly common these days in the world of retail.
The Eclectic Eye will serve as a drop-off location for toys benefiting Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA).
Donations of new, unwrapped toys can be made until Dec. 17 at both the Midtown location, 242 S. Cooper St., and the Collierville location, 3670 S. Houston Levee.
Times are tough in the furniture industry, but at least one Memphis-area furniture retailer has been scaling up during the recession rather than scaling back.
This summer, Millennium Home Furnishings opened a 12,000-square-foot showroom at 3164 S. Forest Hill-Irene Road, just south of Poplar Pike in Germantown. The new store replaces Millennium's former 4,500-square-foot store at The Avenue Carriage Crossing in Collierville.
Stephanie Singley is an entrepreneur to be reckoned with. A retail prodigy. A one-woman force.
But mainly, she just knew a good opportunity when she saw one.
"The opportunity to open this store really fell in my lap," Singley said of Bella Vita, her home interior and decorative accessories shop in Collierville.
The Center for Southern Folklore will host a free performance by singer and guitarist James Bonner today from noon to 1 p.m. at the center, 123 S. Main St. For more information, call 525-3655.
Talk Shoppe will present "Open Microphone" Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South, 3693 Tyndale Drive. For more information, call Jo Garner at 482-0354.
The Tennessee Beta Unit of Parliamentarians will hold its monthly meeting and educational program today at 6 p.m. at the Poplar-White Station Branch Library, 5094 Poplar Ave.
The Memphis Holiday Parade will be held today at 5 p.m. in the South Main Historic Arts District. The South Main shops and galleries will host magic shows, face painting, balloon artists and stilt walkers. After the parade, the South Main Jolly Trolley Tour with parties and art openings will be held.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will host a symposium Dec. 3 at St. Jude, 262 Danny Thomas Place. The symposium will cover advances in genetics research. Registration is due today. For more information, visit www.stjude.org/seminars or call Linda P. Taylor at 595-2235.
The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. will meet today at 9 a.m. at 114 N. Main St. The meeting will include consideration of preliminary approval of financing for a parking garage to be at 100 S. Main St. and consideration of the request of Willie and Hattie Nelson for approval of a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement in connection with the property at Third Street and Vance Avenue. For more information, call Andy Kitsinger at 575-0540.
The Memphis Center City Revenue Finance Corp. will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. at 114 N. Main St. For more information, call Andy Kitsinger at 575-0540.
The National Black MBA Association will host the "Entrepreneur Edge Workshop" today from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Racquet Club of Memphis, 5111 Sanderlin Ave. The event is free for members and nonmembers. For more information, visit www.nbmbaamemphis.org.
The Downtown Parking Authority will meet today at noon in the Large Conference Room of the Center City Commission, 114 N. Main St. For more information, call Eric Robertson at 575-0542.
The Engineers' Club of Memphis Inc. will meet today at noon at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. Wade Towles will give a speech titled "City of Bartlett – Now and Future." Cost is $12. No reservations are required.
3660, 3670 and 3680 Houston Levee RoadCollierville, TN 38017Sale Amount: $15.8 million
Sale Date: Jan. 22, 2008
The Southern Business Education Association Worldwide presents "My CEO! Salsa Night" today at 8 p.m. at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Networking, business events and upcoming seminar information will be available, as will a free one-hour salsa instruction and salsa dancing. For more information, call Stephanie Anderson at 690-2831.
The Center City Commission's Design Review Board meets today at 5 p.m. in the CCC conference room, 114 N. Main St. Call 575-0540 for more information.
The Collierville Chamber of Commerce offers small business counseling Thursday at 11 a.m. at the chamber office, 101 Walnut St. Call 853-1949 to schedule an appointment.


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What impact will the Supreme Court's ruling for Same-Sex Marriage have in churches? What about individual Christians? Will this increase persecution?
The Supreme Court's Ruling Changes Everything
The U.S. Supreme Court has paved the way for same-sex marriages to exist in the states in which it is legal to do so. This means that it will now be legal for same-sex couples to marry in these states and the number of states in the U.S. that allow same-sex marriages is growing and may soon be in the majority. This is an ominous sign for Christians and for churches because this ruling will make it much easier for those who feel discriminated against to file hate speech charges or discrimination lawsuits against those who speak against same-sex couples or homosexuality as being sin. This ruling forces the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is now and will be legal. It also means that in those states it is illegal to discriminate against same-sex couples for social services, rental or home purchases, wedding ceremonies, and much of what most married couples need on a regular basis. Does this also mean that there is a higher risk of individual Christians and churches, like pastors, being charged with hate speech? It would appear so.
The Growing Threat of Persecution
Marvin Olasky, the editor in chief of one of the most conservative Christian magazines, WORLD, said that churches and individuals might face more discrimination and hate speech charges for not embracing same-sex marriage due to this ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. This is especially true since the majority of Americans now believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to wed, even though the percentage of population that actually wants to is still in a small minority.
Friends of Christ, let me warn you soberly. I have never faced as much scorn, ridicule, rejection, and in some cases, outright hate, since I have in the first half of this year. I can take the first few months of this year and these equal all of the persecution that I have faced in the previous 10 years. I have never seen anything like it before in my lifetime. It's as if evil fanatics are growing in their dissatisfaction with Christianity and the persistent juggernaut of the Evil One has shaken the heavenly hosts and earthly participants to take dead aim at the Body of Christ. Remember that Satan's goal is to destroy all of those who stand against evil and proclaim the truth and Jesus did say that we will suffer persecution and if they persecuted Him, even killing Him, how will we not also be persecuted?
In my opinion, if you are suffering persecution for sharing your faith or telling the truth, that is actually a very good sign that you are growing as a Christian. Few things create growth in a Christian than witnessing to the lost. Also, if you're being persecuted for your belief in Christ, at least you know you're on the right side. The truth either sets you free or it makes you really mad. Believers, we must stay in the Word, stay connected with each other, stay on our knees and stay humble, love the Lord our God, seek to glorify Christ…and stand firm and never, ever back down from the truth.
Good as Evil and Evil as Good
This Scripture from Isaiah 5:20 never used to make sense to me as a babe in Christ but today, it makes perfect sense in light of the Supreme Court's ruling to allow same-sex marriage in some states. Isaiah writes, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" For those who may not realize it, the word "woe" is likened to the word "doomed" or "judgment" and is similar in severity to the woes in Revelation and most people who have read the Book of Revelation understand those woes are dreadful indeed. When good is called evil, and evil is called good, we understand why Isaiah said that they "put darkness (evil) for light (good) and light (good) for darkness (evil). The same thing applies to their putting bitter (evil) for sweet (good). I remember in high school that is was actually cool (good) to cheat and if you worked hard, studied, and took notes in class, you were thought to be a nerd (evil). So they called what was wrong, good and what was good, wrong. But today, the scale is much broader.
Be prepared to be persecuted for your faith for all such godly men and women will face this adversity. Let the apostle Peter's words give you comfort and joy in the face of the coming persecution…and it is coming,
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And 'If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (1 Peter 4:12-19).
The key points are:
- We shouldn't be surprised by persecution…I'd be surprised if we never suffered persecution.
- When, not if, we are persecuted, we are sharing in Christ's sufferings.
- When, not if, we are insulted for Christ's sake, we are blessed. Why? "Because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon" us! Wow. How good is that?
There may come a day when Christians, like some are now in Canada and other parts of the world, may be arrested for their calling sin, sin. The U.S. Supreme Court has been overruled, even though they haven't heard about it yet. The highest court of all is in heaven and is ruled by the King of kings and Lord of lords. He sets up and tears down kingdoms as He wishes (Jeremiah 18:10). Peter said that "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). That is the King to whom I will obey…no matter the cost. Are you with me?
Take a look at this related article:
Resources – New International Version Bible (NIV) THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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BBC News
The end of World War II saw an intense scramble for Nazi Germany's many technological secrets. The Allies vied to plunder as much equipment and expertise as possible from the rubble of the Thousand Year Reich for themselves, while preventing others from doing the same.
The range of Germany's technical achievement astounded Allied scientific intelligence experts accompanying the invading forces in 1945.
Supersonic rockets, nerve gas, jet aircraft, guided missiles, stealth technology and hardened armour were just some of the groundbreaking technologies developed in Nazi laboratories, workshops and factories, even as Germany was losing the war.
And it was the US and the Soviet Union which, in the first days of the Cold War, found themselves in a race against time to uncover Hitler's scientific secrets.
In May 1945, Stalin's legions secured the atomic research labs at the prestigious Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in the suburbs of Berlin, giving their master the kernel of what would become the vast Soviet nuclear arsenal.
US forces removed V-2 missiles from the vast Nordhausen complex, built under the Harz Mountains in central Germany, just before the Soviets took over the factory, in what would become their area of occupation. And the team which had built the V-2, led by Wernher von Braun, also fell into American hands.
Shortly afterwards Major-General Hugh Knerr, deputy commander of the US Air Force in Europe, wrote: "Occupation of German scientific and industrial establishments has revealed the fact that we have been alarmingly backward in many fields of research.
"If we do not take the opportunity to seize the apparatus and the brains that developed it and put the combination back to work promptly, we will remain several years behind while we attempt to cover a field already exploited."
Thus began Project Paperclip, the US operation which saw von Braun and more than 700 others spirited out of Germany from under the noses of the US's allies. Its aim was simple: "To exploit German scientists for American research and to deny these intellectual resources to the Soviet Union."
Events moved rapidly. President Truman authorised Paperclip in August 1945 and, on 18 November, the first Germans reached America.
There was, though, one major problem. Truman had expressly ordered that anyone found "to have been a member of the Nazi party and more than a nominal participant in its activities, or an active supporter of Nazism militarism" would be excluded.
Under this criterion even von Braun himself, the man who masterminded the Moon shots, would have been ineligible to serve the US. A member of numerous Nazi organisations, he also held rank in the SS. His initial intelligence file described him as "a security risk".
And von Braun's associates included:
* Arthur Rudolph, chief operations director at Nordhausen, where 20,000 slave labourers died producing V-2 missiles. Led the team which built the Saturn V rocket. Described as "100 per cent Nazi, dangerous type".
* Kurt Debus, rocket launch specialist, another SS officer. His report stated: "He should be interned as a menace to the security of the Allied Forces."
* Hubertus Strughold, later called "the father of space medicine", designed Nasa's on-board life-support systems. Some of his subordinates conducted human "experiments" at Dachau and Auschwitz, where inmates were frozen and put into low-pressure chambers, often dying in the process.
All of these men were cleared to work for the US, their alleged crimes covered up and their backgrounds bleached by a military which saw winning the Cold War, and not upholding justice, as its first priority.
And the paperclip which secured their new details in their personnel files gave the whole operation its name. Sixty years on, the legacy of Paperclip remains as vital as ever.
With its radar-absorbing carbon impregnated plywood skin and swept-back single wing, the 1944 Horten Ho 229 was arguably the first stealth aircraft.
The US military made one available to Northrop Aviation, the company which would produce the $2bn B-2 Stealth bomber - to all intents and purposes a modern clone of the Horten - a generation later.
Cruise missiles are still based on the design of the V-1 missile and the scramjets powering Nasa's state-of-the-art X-43 hypersonic aircraft owe much to German jet pioneers.
Added to this, the large number of still-secret Paperclip documents has led many people, including Nick Cook, Aerospace Consultant at Jane's Defence Weekly, to speculate that the US may have developed even more advanced Nazi technology, including anti-gravity devices, a potential source of vast amounts of free energy.
Cook says that such technology "could be so destructive that it would endanger world peace and the US decided to keep it secret for a long time".
But, while celebrating the undoubted success of Project Paperclip, many will prefer to remember the thousands who died to send mankind into space.
More . . .


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The mixed economy of the Maldives is based on the principal activities of tourism, fishing and shipping.
Male is the capital and largest city (in terms of population) in the Republic of Maldives. The central part of the Male city is formed by Male Island. Three more islands are part of the city. Slightly less than one third of the nation's population lives in the capital city. Many, if not most, Maldivians and foreign workers in Maldives find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the only entry point to the nation and the centre of all administration and bureaucracy.
Male has an overall cost of living index which equates it with middle cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups.
The latest cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.


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No Apology
Hugh Lattimer once preached before King Henry VIII. Henry was greatly displeased by the boldness in the sermon and ordered Lattimer to preach again on the following Sunday and apologize for the offence he had given.
The next Sunday, after reading his text, he thus began his sermon: "Hugh Lattimer, dost thou know before whom thou are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the kings most excellent majesty, who can take away thy life, if thou offendest. Therefore, take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease. But then consider well, Hugh, dost thou not know from whence thou comestupon Whose message thou are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, Who is all-present and Who beholdeth all thy ways and Who is able to cast thy soul into hell! Therefore, take care that thou deliverest thy message faithfully."
He then preached the same sermon he had preached the preceding Sundayand with considerably more energy.